Most powerful EU country in the 1980s?

[Clyde1998]

I know if was called the European Economic Community in the 1980s, but whatever...

I think this will be a bit more interesting in hindsight than the current most powerful EU member.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

France. West Germany were still in not a fully sovereign country in the eyes of international law.

[Santander]

It was basically a club of France and their friends back then.

[Hnv1]

France. West Germany were still in not a fully sovereign country in the eyes of international law.

care to back this claim? It's been some time since I did international law in Uni but West Germany of the 80's met all the criteria for statehood by the Montevideo Convention

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Germany has been pretty much always been the most powerful country in the EEC, especially so since De Gaulle's retirement.

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

France. West Germany were still in not a fully sovereign country in the eyes of international law.

care to back this claim? It's been some time since I did international law in Uni but West Germany of the 80's met all the criteria for statehood by the Montevideo Convention

There was no final peace treaty signed between (West) Germany and the Allied powers all the way until 1990. In 1990, there was the Four Powers Agreement where the Soviets, US, UK and France all agreed to renounce their rights in Berlin and Germany and sign the final peace treaty. In the 1980's the Big Four Allied powers all had basing and travel rights within vast chunks of both West and East Germany. If West Germany decided to acquire nuclear weapons like other great powers like the UK and France, you can bet that would get slapped down pretty hard by NATO. A independent nuclear deterrent is an important part of being a great power.

[Former President tack50]

France by far. UK and Denmark were always half in, half out, Italy and West Germany were large but still behind France, Spain and Portugal had just joined and weren't all that great and the others were too small. I think it's something like this:

France>(UK)>West Germany>Italy>Netherlands>Spain>Belgium>Denmark>Portugal>Greece>Luxembourg